Gay Marriage and Native Americans

The Supreme Court ruled this summer to support same-sex marriage. This does not apply to Native American tribes, however, since they are not parties to the U.S. Constitution. A decade ago, Navajo lawmakers drafted the Dine Marriage Act that prohibits same-sex marriage, and only a dozen of the 566 U.S. tribes recognize same-sex marriage. If Native Americans leave the reservation, they are free to marry whom they choose, but in their own home community, the relationship is not valid. Listen to hear more about how these contradictory laws are affecting Native Americans.

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Related Current Events

The state of Montana is adopting a new approach to maintaining and reviving Native American languages in the state. The state’s new policy, to partially fund native language immersion in public schools, is very different from previous efforts to get rid of Native American language and culture through government boarding schools. Listen to learn more about the policies of the past and present, and why Native Americans in Montana feel strongly about passing their language on to the next generation.

On April 28th, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments for and against the constitutionality of state-level bans on gay marriage. This hearing combined four different cases and tackled two big questions: whether state bans on gay marriage are legal, and whether it is legal for states to not recognize marriages from states where gay marriage is legal. The cases sparked a long and heated Supreme Court session. A decision is expected at the end of June. Listen to hear questions and arguments from the justices on this controversial issue.

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